GMC SIERRA DENALI – A 100 year heritage of building trucks   By ALAN GELL www.CarColumns.Net The GMC Sierra Denali  proved its value to the journalists at this year’s Texas Truck Rodeo.  They voted it Number One in its class of Full Size Pickups. The exterior has a professional look to it. The fenders, hood, front end –they are all unique, and muscular in appearance. There’s a distinctive chrome hood moldingthat compliments that “first look” when you see the new Sierra. All the door handleshave been redesigned to be bigger.

They call it a “grab-style” design that makes it easier to open when you are wearing big, heavy gloves. The windshield is slopedmore for a faster angle.

Inside the Sierra, you will notice a lot more storage compartments. Most of us havea lot of stuff, whether it’s for personal or work, and we like lots of little cubbyholesto put all that stuff. From cell-phones to laptops to little things like tire pressuregauges, the Sierra has compartments for all of them. The Sierra has responded tothat need. There’s even an under-seat storage that locks and two gloveboxes. The Sierra has added more front legroom, more rear headroom, and more rear hip room.

When you are driving the new Sierra, one of the first things you notice is the quietness.. The idle noise and highway noise has definitely been reduced. The Sierra pickup comes standard with a 4.3 liter V6, which is rated at 195 horsepower. They have a 4.8 liter V8 on the extended cab and crew cab models. An option is the 5.3 liter FlexFuel V8 that uses the E85 mixture. There’s a 6.0 liter V8 available for the larger models as part of the trailering package. And, you get a 6.2 liter V8 that is exclusive to the Sierra Denali. It really doesn’t matter much which model truck is matched with which engine – they all spit out a lot of power. When you drive the new Sierra, you notice the smoothness of the transmission balanced with the performance. It’s a noticeable improvement.

The Denali version of the Sierra is special. The amenities and comprehensive package offered on the Denali model really delivers. Eighteen-inch wheels are standard,  but 20-inch factory wheels are an option.

The interior of the Denali is a bit more fancy than the regular Sierra pickups.  Leather trim, leather seats, wood grain accents, a bundle of auxiliary controls, and a unique center console.

This new generation of full-size GMC Sierra pickups is great. They offer more. They do more. They look terrific. It’s rated as the first full-size pickup to get over 20 miles to the gallon and have 300 hp. There are a lot of options available, such as remote start, power sliding back glass, tailgate lock and assist, heated windshield washer fluid, bedliner, toolboxes, bed divider, bed extender, and a whole lot more. The Sierra comes in three cab styles, regular, extended, and crew cab. It has three box lengths, short, standard, and long. There are five suspension packages and four trim levels.